Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Jonathan Huberdeau played for the Saint-Eustache Vikings Midget AAA team, appearing in 43 games for that team. He scored 20 goals and added 30 assists for 50 points. Huberdeau was chosen by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the first round, 18th overall, of the 2009 QMJHL Entry Draft.

2009-10: In his QMJHL rookie season with the Sea Dogs, Huberdeau scored 15 goals and added 20 assists for 35 points in 61 games. In 21 playoff games for the Sea Dogs, he scored 11 goals and chipped in 7 assists for 18 points. Huberdeau played for Team Quebec at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, picking up 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points in 5 games.

2010-11: Huberdeau played in 67 games for the Sea Dogs, scoring 43 goals and adding 62 assists for 105 points. His point total was good for third overall in the QMJHL, as were his goal and assist totals. Huberdeau was named the to the QMJHL First All-Star Team as a left wing.

2011-12: Huberdeau had 72 points in 37 games for QMJHL champion Saint John, missing nearly two months due to a broken foot and time spent with Team Canada at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship. He scored 30 goals with 42 assists and was plus-53 with 50 penalty minutes. Huberdeau scored 10 goals with 11 assists and was plus-11 in 15 playoff games. The Sea Dogs reached the Memorial Cup championship game against QMJHL rival Shawinigan and Huberdeau led all scorers at the Memorial Cup with 5 goals and 2 assists in four games.

2012-13: Huberdeau skated in all 48 games for Florida and received the NHL's Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. He tied Edmonton's Nail Yakupov for the rookie scoring lead with 31 points; scoring 4 goals with 17 assists. Averaging 17 minutes of ice time, Huberdeau was -15 with 18 penalty minutes. He skated with the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs and represented Canada in the 2013 World Junior Championship during the NHL lockout. Huberdeau was the second-leading scorer for Canada behind overall tournament scoring leader Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, finishing with 3 goals and 6 assists in six games. Canada finished fourth after falling to host Russia in overtime in the bronze medal game. Huberdeau scored 16 goals with 29 assists and was -1 with 48 penalty minutes in 30 games with Saint John.

Talent Analysis

An offensive wizard when the puck is on his stick, Huberdeau is blessed with great hands and the creativity to make things happen on the ice. Equally adept at finding an open player and making a pass as he is with sliding through defensive coverage or scoring a goal himself, Huberdeau is a dynamic talent with an excellent work ethic. Huberdeau continues to work hard in the weight room to add muscle and strength which will help him to win tough battles on the ice.

Future

The Calder Trophy that Huberdeau won last season is a testament to what the future holds. He was Florida’s best forward last year as a rookie, and he should quickly rise up the charts of NHL forwards as he makes his way to several All-Star appearances and a spot among the league’s best.

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Photo: St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko got off to an impressive start in his NHL career, making him an easy choice as the NHL's top rookie for January (courtesy of Scott Kane/Icon SMI)

Due to the NHL lockout, January was an abbreviated month, with most teams playing just over half a dozen games. Nonetheless, the Hockey’s Future staff was polled to give their early thoughts on the front-runners for the league's Calder Trophy, which recognizes the NHL's top rookie.

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Photo: St. Louis Blues rookie Vladimir Tarasenko, who is ranked second in HF's prospect rankings, is off to a fine start in his NHL career, making him a leading candidate for NHL Rookie of the Year (courtesy of Danny Murphy/Icon SMI)

With the end of the lockout and the abbreviated 48-game season, the opportunities for NHL rookies to make an impression is somewhat limited. Many of the top teams, such as the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, head into the season with their lineups virtually intact from the 2011-12 season.

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Photo: Team Canada forward and Florida Panthers prospect Jonathan Huberdeau had a productive 2013 WJC, but it was not enough to keep Canada's medal-winning streak alive (courtesy of Chapin Landvogt/HF)

Despite the high-scoring bronze medal loss to Russia at the 2013 World Junior Championship, Team Canada's forwards in general were not as productive a group as they were expected to be at this WJC.

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Photo: Drafted in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Vincent Trocheck has been among the top players in the OHL this season. (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The number of Florida Panthers prospects playing junior hockey has dropped over the last year as several key junior performers have moved on to start their professional careers. The 2012 draft class did however add three new junior prospects for Florida. The talent of the junior prospects is evident in the fact that several of the nine suited up for their respective conferences in the recent Subway Super Series that pitted CHL conference teams against the Russian national junior team.

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Photo: Now a rookie with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, forward Drew Shore experienced little difficulty transitioning to professional hockey. (Photo by Scott A. Schneider/Getty Images)

Not only has Florida Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon turned a perennially underachieving NHL club into a playoff contender in just over two years, but he built an enviable stable of prospects, many of whom are close to NHL ready.